This term, Class 9 have shown notable growth in maturity and reflection. On our Boshack camp, I had the joy of watching them step into leadership roles with growing confidence. They showed patience and care for one another and thoughtfully reflected on both their strengths and areas for improvement.

The Autobiography Main Lesson arrived at just the right time for this group. It invited them to turn their reflective gaze inward, considering their dreams, hopes, fears, and the significance of their memories. Memory is a fascinating thing; we can recall some moments in sharp, vivid detail, while others are blurred and fuzzy, and many only resurface when prompted. Throughout this Main Lesson, students explored their own key memories: the story of how their parents met, the day of their birth, and their childhood years.

Each morning, students have been invited to unlock their treasure chests of tucked-away memories through engaging warm-up prompts, for example, describing a place they know by heart, a song they associate with a particular time in their life, or an object they have had for years. Many students have eagerly shared these memories with the class, establishing a learning environment that encourages openness and celebration of themselves and others. They also experimented with writing autobiographical poems, honing their creative writing skills across genres.

We began with a beautiful reflection from Anne Frank:

“How noble and good everyone could be if, every evening before falling asleep, they were to recall to their minds the events of the whole day and consider exactly what has been good and bad. Then, without realising it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day.”

This idea has guided our work together, reminding us that the process of reflection helps us to grow. Students have been encouraged to see how life’s small and large events shape who they are, deepening their sense of identity and belonging and allowing them to take pride in their own stories.

Along the way, we read extracts from a range of autobiographies, including Roald Dahl’s Boy, Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, Anh Do’s The Happiest Refugee, and Anna Michener’s Becoming Anna. These texts, with their varied subjects and styles, offered inspiration for student writing and showed how descriptive details, imagery, and figurative language can work to bring memories to life.

In the final week, students will continue to craft their own autobiographical stories, weaving together these key moments into a lasting record of their personal history. The final collection will be both a reflection on their lives so far and a celebration of who they are; unique, thoughtful young people stepping confidently into the next stage of their lives. I would like to extend a big thank you to parents for sharing their family memories, photos and stories in support of this Main Lesson. 

Chiara Corbet

English & Humanities Teacher